Enough
by Nikki Sage
Summary: What if Mikoto Uchiha was not a submissive housewife? What if she was brave enough to rescue her best friend's child? What if she was strong enough to protect her sons from becoming ninja tools for the Uchiha? What if she was defiant enough to be outcast by her traitorous clan? Would it be enough to save them all?
1. It's Painful

**Chapter 1: It's Painful**

" _It will hurt."_ Mikoto had wanted to say to Kushina, before she was ushered away by the Sandaime's wife _. "It will be the worse pain you've ever experience, but it will all be worth it the moment you see Naruto's eyes."_

But those words were never uttered out loud, all she could do was watch her very pregnant friend be lead away and give her an encouraging smile. Mikoto didn't know where Kushina was being taken—even she wasn't trusted with such sensitive information—but she had full confidence that when Kushina returned it would be with her beautiful baby boy.

"Your best friend will be born soon, Sasu-chan," Mikoto whispered, gently stroking the infant's cheek. "I'm not sure what he'll be like or how he will behave, but I'm sure you two will the best of friends in no time."

As she continued on her way to the market, she thoughts kept wandering to Kushina's future son. She wondered who he would look like. Her own sons both resembled her in appearance, but seemed closer to their father in personality, and wondered if the same would be true for Naruto. Would he have his mother's crimson hair, but his father's calm nature? For the parent's sake, she hoped he would be a calm baby, otherwise they'd be up all hours of the day and constantly on guard for his mischief.

Not that having Kushina's personality was a bad thing. In many ways, Mikoto was jealous of her friend's loud and dauntless personality. Although, she got into many fights and often got them into sticky situations, Kushina was always genuine in her thoughts and feelings. Something that was refreshing, compared to Mikoto's world of everything and everyone having to be perfect. Even at home, Mikoto had to be the perfect mother and the perfect housewife. A housewife who really should get started on dinner.

"Ano, Itachi-kun? What would you like for dinner today?" She sweetly asked her eldest son.

"Me? Shouldn't you or Otousan decide?" He asked, his 5-year-old eyes puzzled.

"Your father isn't here right now and there's just so many delicious meals we could eat. Saba Shioyaki, Yakitori, Tonkatsu… _Unagi_?" She sang the last suggestion, making his eyes bulge and him to stick out his tongue in disgust.

"Anything but unagi! I hate eel!" Itachi complained.

"Are you sure? It's so healthy, It will help you turn into a big strong shinobi." She teased.

"I'll find another way." Itachi promised.

"What's wrong, Musuko?" Mikoto asked, with a playful glint in her eyes. "Are you afraid of a little eel?"

"Little?! Do you know how big they can get, Kaasan?! They can grow as large as—Ack! Nooo!" Itachi's rant got interrupted as his mother mercilessly began to tickle him, relishing in her son's laughter. Itachi was so mature for his age, always too grim and proper for a child. It made her happy whenever she got to see him act his age. "Stop! Please stop!" He begged and Mikoto released him.

"Did you make a decision yet?" Mikoto hummed, but waited for Itachi to get his bearings back.

"Can we have Okonomiyaki?" Itachi asked hesitantly. Mikoto thought it over before giving a brisk nod. "Really?"

Okonomiyaki was not the typically type of dinner that the Uchiha usually had. Fugaku especially preferred a more elegant meal while many saw okonomiyaki as simple comfort food. "Hai. I said you could pick whatever you wanted. Plus, we're celebrating! Kushina-obasan will soon be having your future cousin. We will be making this meal in their honor."

Itachi smiled at that. "Obasan would really love the okonomiyaki, huh? Maybe when we see her again we can make her some?"

Mikoto smiled wider and gently hugged her two boys. "That's so thoughtful, Itachi. I'm sure she will love it! Now come on, I'm going to need your help to pick out the freshest and the best ingredients for tonight!"

Having Itachi in the kitchen with her always made cooking more enjoyable. The boy would follow her cooking orders diligently, and when she had no tasks for him to do he would occupy himself by playing with his baby brother. She loved hearing Itachi tell her about his day, about how his classes were going and what he had Shishui were getting into. Whenever Itachi ran out of things to say about himself, he'd ask her about her days as a genin with Kushina, and laugh as she'd tell of the mischief that his naughty aunt would get them into.

Cooking was never stressful for them. What was stressful was the delivery and the judgement from the head of the household.

"Okaerinasai." Itachi said, greeting his father as he came into the door while his mother frantically finished setting up the table.

Fugaku stared at the meal, unimpressed. "What's this?"

"O-okonomiyaki, Otousan. Okaasan let me pick dinner tonight. She said it was for celebration."

"Celebration? I was not aware that we had anything to celebrate tonight."

Mikoto blushed. "It's an early celebration. For when Kushina gives birth."

"Is she due already?" Fugaku asked, but his voice shared his disinterest.

"Soon." Was all Mikoto supplied. Kushina had begged her not to reveal the exact due date to anyone, and she felt that Kushina meant more specifically her husband and her clan elders. She had no idea why her friend wanted things so secretive but she had to respect her wishes.

"Soon only?" Her husband said, dissatisfied. "Then aren't we celebrating too early?"

She forced herself not to recoil at his harsh tone and instead offered him a timid smile. "Please sit down. You don't want the food to get cold."

Fugaku did sit and they ate their meal in silence. Poor Itachi try to sink low into his seat, embarrassed by his choice in the meal, but that only incurred the wrath of his father, who yelled at him not to slouch and to sit straight. Both mother and son were relieved when Fugaku got up after his single serving, excusing himself so that he could go into his study and finish his paperwork from the station. Once he was out of sight, Mikoto looked back at Itachi and whispered. "Dinner was delicious. I'm glad you picked Okonomiyaki."

Itachi's frown only deepened. "Otousan didn't think so."

" _Your father is a big asshole."_ Is what Kushina would have said, but Mikoto knew she couldn't get away with such an accusation. Or that type of language. "Your father is just tired and under a lot of stress. It's not easy being a father and being a leader. When you are older, you will understand."

Itachi's eyes roamed to Sasuke, who was slumbering peacefully in his crib. "I never want to be like him." He muttered, and Mikoto pretend she didn't hear his bitter words, but instead continue to eat the pleasant meal until they both ate their share.

"Come on, Ita-kun. Help me collect the dishes. You can put away the leftovers, I'll do the dishes, and when we are done we can have mochi for dessert!" Itachi nodded, not really caring about the promise of a sugary reward, and silently worked alongside her. She wished there was a way to assure her son that his father loved him, but she couldn't find the words. _'I'm sure he'll understand when he's older.'_

She smiled at him as he put away the last of the leftovers, and reached into the freezer to hand him his reward. "Matcha mochi just as promised!"

"Arigato." Itachi said meekly, starting at the mocha, as if wondering what he was expected to do with it.

"Go ahead, eat it." She encouraged. "If you don't I will."

Itachi eyed her suspiciously. "You wouldn't."

"Mhmmm. Matcha is my favorite flavor." She leaned her face down lower, inches away from the snack, and dramatically opened her mouth wide. She was about to take a small nibble when she felt the overpowering presence of killing intent. The anger and hostility was palpable; it hung in the air and felt thick as syrup, coating every orifice of her body, suffocating her. Mikoto forced herself to calm down and to breathe normally, but both her sons already knew something was wrong. Sensing her panic, baby Sasuke began to cry, and even Itachi turned paler than usual.

"Kaasan, what's going on?"

Before Mikoto could speak up, her husband came barreling out of the room. He took one swift look around the kitchen and glared coldly at his wife. "There's an emergency, I'm needed at the station. I assume you can take control of the home situation and keep the children calm?"

Mikoto's mouth closed to a thin, firm line, and she nodded in response. Not wasting further time, Fugaku _Shunshin_ to where he was needed. Once he was gone, Mikoto was able to fully regain her bearings and went over to Sasuke and tried to calm him down. "It's okay, Sasu-chan. It's okay. Kaasan is here. Kaasan won't let anybody hurt you."

"Kaasan, what's going on?" Itachi demanded.

"I don't know," Mikoto admitted. "But your father is on the case, so it will be fixed in no time."

"But what's going on? Is it the war again?" Itachi questioned, moving over to the nearby window to investigate, ignoring his mother's warnings to stay out of sight.

"Kaasan, why is there a giant fox monster outside?"

Mikoto froze and her body went limp momentarily, only jumping back into action when she felt Sasuke start to slip from her arms. "A fox?"

"Hai. But it is really big and it has more than one tail.

' _The Kyuubi!'_ Mikoto realized in horror.

Knowledge of Kushina's status as a jinchuuriki was an S-class secret, forbidden by most shinobi. Mikoto was only aware of it because…well frankly Kushina was awful at keeping secrets. She had needed a confidant to talk to, someone that would be able to care about her without her mask, who was able to see the girl that was harboring the beast. Mikoto was even aware that there might be some issues with her seal when she went into labor. However, for the Kyuubi to be fully released could only mean one thing.

"Kushina!" Mikoto bemoaned, aghast of what might have befallen her best friend. Sasuke began to squirm, crying louder, while Itachi remained transfixed by the monster outside. Balancing Sasuke on one arm, she used the other to grab Itachi by the back of the shirt and drag him away from the window. "Itachi get away from there!"

She relinquished her hold on Itachi in favor of gently rocking Sasuke, as she tried to sort through her turmoil thoughts. She knew that she was expected to stay with the children, keep them safe, but her emotions were screaming at her to check on Kushina. Her best friend couldn't be dead! She turned her attention to Itachi, her brave boy. He was always so mature for his age, even now he was trying to comfort little Sasuke, doing his best to speak to the baby in a calming voice.

"Here, Itachi, hold Sasuke." She gently lowered the baby into his brother's caring arms. "Itachi, can I trust you to take good care of your brother?"

"H-hai. Kaa-san, what's going on?"

Mikoto began rummaging through the kitchen drawers, until she found her hidden kunai. She carefully placed the kunai in a pouch and placed that pouch inside of Itachi's pocket. "Use that only if you are in danger, do you understand me?"

"H-h-hai." Itachi's voice trembled as he tried to mask his fear.

Mikoto ran to her bedroom closet, and sorted through her clothes until she found her old jounin uniform. It was tighter than she remembered, and she was grateful that her vest managed to hide the muffin top that her body was doing in protest of her new outfit choice. Although it was to be expected after two pregnancies, Mikoto still felt the shame, and decided that once this was all over she and Kushina would need to do an exercise regime to get her back into shape.

Itachi's eyes widen when she finally returned to the kitchen, he had never seen his mother in full ninja gear before. "What's going on? Where are you going?"

"I need to make sure that Kushina-obasan is alright. I'll be back soon, I promise."

Itachi looked at her with wavering eyes. "It's dangerous, isn't it? What if you don't come back?!"

"Shhhh," Mikoto whispered, kneeling down to her son and pressing her forehead against her son. She ignored the shiver Itachi released as the cold metal of her headband brushed against his forehead, in favor of wiping away his stray tears. "Listen to me. I will be coming back home. I love you and I love Sasuke so much. I promise, that love is going to lead me back home to the both of you."

"I love you too." Itachi sniffled and Mikoto kissed her boys each on the forehead.

"Stay safe, I will be back in no time." And just like her husband, she _Shunshin_ ed away.

 _Sharigan_ eyes blazing crimson, Mikoto leaped from tree to tree, desperate to catch sight of her best friend's chakra signature. Although, the _Sharigan_ was not as skilled as the _Byakugan_ for seeing chakra through anything it was remarkably good at finding well known chakra signatures. Luckily for Mikoto, Kushina always had a very vibrant and unique chakra signature, so she was confident that she could still find her friend despite the chaos going on around her. Her feet carried her nimbly through the fray, dodging falling debris as she moved, and ignoring the cries going on around her. If she stopped to save every victim then she would have no time to save Kushina, so with a heavy heart she ignored them in favor of pressing forward.

Mikoto only paused when she felt the air around her shift, and the pressure of the Kyuubi malevolent essence lift. She looked around and noticed that the tailed beast had been relocated. "Minato?"

Mikoto picked up her pace, assured that wherever Minato was that Kushina would be with him. She continued searching until she picked up the faint shine of Minato's chakra pattern and raced off in that direction. Only once her lungs were screaming for air did she reach a barrier. From down below she could see the colossal form of Kyuubi—who seemed to be chained down with Kushina's chakra. Good, that meant that her beloved friend was still alive. She could also make out the blond shade that was Minato. She could even make out the red shine of Kushina's long hair.

" _I finally find you."_ Mikoto thought in relief, slowly climbing down the tree so that she could get a better view of the scene. She gasped when she saw how beat up Kushina looked, and the _Sharigan_ revealed that her chakra levels were mortally depleted. She looked around, wondering what the Yondaime was doing to save his wife, when she noticed the ceremonial table. _"Good. They can still seal the monster back into Kushina. That should revive her chakra."_ But on closer inspection, and much to Mikoto's bewilderment, there was something small squirming on the table top. _"That can't be… Naruto?"_

Kushina and Minato seemed to be arguing about something, but Mikoto was too far away to make out the words. Suddenly the hair on the back of _Mikoto's_ neck stood on end as she felt another ominous presence enter the scene, and watched in stunned horror as a _Shinigami_ warped itself into existence behind Minato. _"What is he doing?!"_ Mikoto screamed inside her head, watching in horror as the _Shinigami_ reached into Minato and attached onto his life force. _"Is he suicidal?"_

Kushina seemed to agree with Mikoto that the Yondaime was crazy and started to yell at him some more. Mikoto was so distracted by their little spat and the death god that she didn't notice the Kyuubi slowly getting loose, but her special eyes picked up—with awful clarity—the single claw that the monster shot forward towards the innocent baby on the table. In slow motion, she could see the parents throw themselves in front of their child, and she screamed in revulsion, knowing with absolute certainty what would happen next. She tried to scream them a warning, but her mouth moved so much slower than her eyes. So she watched on with trepidation, knowing they would inevitably impale themselves on the beasts claw.

She knew all of this but still sobbed as she witnessed it unfold, bawling so hard that her lungs felt like they were shriveling up, and her supernatural eyes glazing over from the tears. She was unaware of the sealing ceremony that the dying Yondaime finished, or how the baby was crying now. She paid no attention to the fact that the barrier was now down, and that other shinobi were rushing onto the scene.

She was completely unaware that her _Sharigan_ had fully developed into the _Mangekyō Sharingan_. The only thought running through her mind was that it wasn't supposed to hurt this much.

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! This is my first Naruto fanfiction, and I've only gotten back into the Naruto craze recently after a 3 year absence. I wanted to write another one of those** _ **what ifs**_ **stories, you know what if Naruto and Sasuke had a better life from the beginning, but I wanted it to be different from all the other great fics that are already out there. While trying to figure out what to do, and what really hasn't been done, I realized that the Naruto series really ignore one character who could have been vital in the storyline. Mikoto! I mean we know almost nothing about the woman! Yet this woman could have easily altered the lives of Naruto and the Uchiha brothers, if she was brave enough to do so. With** _ **Enough**_ **we will explore Mikoto's tale and the influence she could have had.**

 _ **Questions You might have:**_

 _ **Why does Mikoto have the Sharigan?**_

 _ **Well she is listed as jounin status, and it would make sense that the wife of the clan head should be one of the strongest kuniochis of her clan. Also it explains more why both of her sons are so badass.**_

 _ **Why did Mikoto try to find Kushina?**_

 _ **Both the manga and the anime list Itachi watching over Sasuke while both parents are missing in action. Fugaku is obviously dealing with police related stuff, but we don't know what Mikoto is doing. I feel like if the retired ninja left her sons behind, she should better be looking for her best friend who is dying.**_

 _ **Why does Mikoto know about the Kyuubi and Kushina's due date?**_

 _ **Honestly, Mikoto is way too calm with Kushina is lead away and acts like nothing strange is going on. To me, that means that Kushina already told her the due date. Also, I'm assuming that both women were on the same genin team and that's why they are so close to each other, and Kushina needed someone to talk to whenever she felt the burden of being a jinchuuriki. It probably took years for Kushina to admit it, but I doubt the girl would have been able to keep it a secret forever. Also imagine the horror Kushina felt when she realized that Kyuubi's seal would be weakened when she gave birth, she probably would want to talk it over with a girl friend.**_

 **Feel free to ask more questions and I hope to see you all in the next chapter! I hope to get it out by 7/17! Reviews are welcomed and highly appreciated.**


	2. Nothing is the Same

**Chapter 2: Nothing is the Same**

Mikoto was not sure how long she was there for; curled up into herself on that branch, weeping and howling until her throat closed tight. She had long since shut her eyes to the world and turned off the _Sharigan_. She had no use for her _kekkei genkai_ now, in fact the last thing she wanted was to see that grisly scene with anymore clarity. It wasalready had it engraved in her memories. She might have stayed in that tree all night if it wasn't for the ANBU who landed on the branch above her.

"I'm afraid that you are required to leave, Uchiha-san. This area is off limits." An ANBU officer with a raccoon dog mask stated, his voice although sympathetic still commanded authority.

"B-but, K-k-kushina," Mikoto tried to argue, fighting to get the words to come out. "I-I c-can't leave her!"

"Gomen, but there is nothing you could do for her now. I'm afraid we cannot allow you to stay any longer or we will be forced to arrest you for trespassing. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Mikoto could just imagine the anger and embarrassment on Fugaku's face if that happened. She would never be able to live down the shame. But really, she shouldn't be concerned about Fugaku and his scorn. Her main priority should be her own babies, and her heart sank with guilt as she realized that she had abandoned them for so long. "Gomenaisai. I should have returned home earlier."

"Death of a loved one has a way of crippling us. Even the strongest shinobi needs a moment to recollect themselves from the heartache. I can only hope that the night has no other surprises for you."

"Arigato." Mikoto whispered before using _Shunshin_ to return home. What she did not expect to see was the two giant trees that were now part of her home interior. The house itself was still standing, but Mikoto realized in horror that the trees had crashed straight through the kitchen as well as Sasuke's nursery.

"Itachi?! Sasuke?!" Mikoto screamed with her hoarse voice, carefully maneuvering her way through what was their front entry. "Itachi! Please answer me!"

The flood of adrenaline forced Mikoto's tire limbs to work into overdrive as she rushed from room to room, crimson eyes blazing in the night as she tried to locate any sign of her boys. It was only after she swept through every inch of the house did she consider that they could be at the one of the Uchiha safehouse. The closest one to them was south-east from here, and she wasted no time in getting there.

"Itachi!" She called from the entrance. "Itachi, Sasuke, are you two in there?"

She waited for a response, but was only greeted with chilling silence. Her pulse quickened from the anxiety, and she was sure that if the silence continued then her heart would give out.

"Itachi!" She cried out one last time, and almost yelped when she felt a hand roughly yank her by the shoulder. She turned around and saw the furious gaze of her husband. In her surprise she let her _Sharigan_ drop.

"Where are my sons?" He demanded.

"I-I don't know. I think they might be here?"

"You _think_? You should know where they are! You were watching them."

"I... I…" Mikoto fumbled with words as she tried to think up a logical explanation for why she left her 5-year-old with their 3 month old infant. A task made even harder when there had been no logic. Luckily, she was spared from answering at that moment when she heard Itachi's voice.

"Kaasan? Otousan? Are you guys there?" The small voice yelled, but the boy in question was still not in sight.

"We're here, Ita-kun! We're near the entrance!" Soon she could make out the pitter-patter of a child's shoes running towards them, and she quickly rushed towards the sound so that she could meet him halfway. She lunged in for a hug the moment she caught sight of him and he quickly returned her affection. "Are you alright? Is Sasuke? What happened to you two?!"

"We're both okay." Itachi swore, slowly disentangling himself from his mother so he could carefully hand Sasuke over to her. "It was really loud and the ground kept shaking. I remembered that Otousan said that if there was ever danger that I should go straight to the south-east shelter, so I did. I ran into Izumi on the way and brought her here too. She's with the other clan members that showed up."

Mikoto sighed in relief, glad that others had also made it to safety. "I was so worried about you two. When I saw the state of our home I was terrified that you might have gotten crushed."

"What exactly happened to our home?" Fugaku growled. "And why were you not with our sons."

"Two trees fell down." Mikoto admitted. "One went through the kitchen, the other through the nursery."

"A perfect ending for the night; we'll either need to camp within our own home, or rely on the hospitality of others." Fugaku sneered, causing Mikoto to flinch. Knowing him, he would blame her for the home's damages.

"As for the boys, I left Itachi in charge because… I wanted to find Kushina to make sure that she's alright." Fugaku's frown deepened at the sound of that name.

"Is _that_ _woman_ really worth risking the lives of your _sons_?"

Kushina tried to ignore his scorn, and tried to keep her face impassive, but the thought of _that woman_ made her lip tremble and her eyes burn. "You won't have to worry about her anymore. She's dead."

That shocked Fugaku and poor Itachi's own eyes began to fill with tears. "Kushina-obasan? She's—but we were suppose to be celebrating tonight! We were going to visit her and bring… and bring the okon—" The boy couldn't finish the rest of his sentence before he started to sob, which started to upset the baby.

"Enough of this!" Fugaku growled. "There's no use crying over the dead, and Kushina is not the only victim from tonight. Shinobi especially don't cry."

Itachi sniffled, biting his lip hard so not to let out any other sound. Mikoto wanted to comfort her son, and knew that if she was Kushina she would have openly argued with her husband over how there was no shame in grief, nor did that make her less of a shinobi for thinking that. But she wasn't Kushina and she never could be. So instead she tried to relieve the tension through redirection. "We should concentrate on our sleeping arrangements."

They decided on returning home and removing as much of the trees as possible, as well as barricading the rifts that remained of those walls. It took until sunrise to finish the work, even poor Itachi stayed up until the last gap was dealt with and the last branch removed. Mikoto tried to pretend that he did so only to be of help to his parents, and not because of any lingering fears he might have towards his father being left alone with his mother. Instead she focused of setting up Sasuke's crib, which was temporarily being relocated into Itachi's room. She almost jumped when she heard a cough behind her. Whirling her head around and found Fugaku, still in full gear.

"I'm returning to the station."

"Already? But you haven't slept yet."

"I'm aware of that. I'm also aware that it's 6:30 in the morning and I should be heading in at this time."

"Are you sure you don't want to rest—"

"There is no time, woman!" He snarled. "There was a large scale attack that killed and injured hundreds of its citizens. Do you have any idea how much work is awaiting me already? I'm sure it will only get worse when the Yondaime puts in his inp—for god's sake, woman, why is your mouth opened so wide?"

"You don't know?" She gasped.

"Know what?"

"The Yondaime… he's… he's… he and Kushina are both… dead. He died fighting the beast."

Fugaku looked at Mikoto in disbelief, like he was waiting for her to crack a smile and tell him that she was just joking. Instead all he got were more teary eyes. "Great. Just great. This is the last thing I need to deal with!"

"What?" Mikoto was stunned to see no sort of remorse from Fugaku and wondered if he fully processed what she said. She was still finding it hard to believe that they weren't alive anymore.

"We were finally getting somewhere with that blond brat, and now he had to go and die. Who the hell is going to replace him on such short notice? Mark my words, it will be one of those old tyrants on the Council, and they will do everything they can to take away the rights of the Uchiha!"

"But why would anyone do that?"

"Are you dumb and blind, woman? There's been mistrust for our people since the First Shinobi War. We have the most power _kekkei genkai_ in the ninja world and they fear us for our talents and abilities. Whenever catastrophe in this village strikes, we are the first to blame!"

"I'm sure that won't be the case. The Kyuubi brought the catastrophe, not shinobi. They can't blame an entire clan without any true proof!"

"You poor, naïve fool." Fugaku muttered, for once sounding sympathetic.

In the following weeks, she realized just how right her husband was.

* * *

" _ **By proclamation of the Hokage and the Council, it has been decided that due to the destruction caused by the Kyuubi, the entirety of the Uchiha Clan will be given their own district and be relocated towards the center of the village. Through its new location, the police station will be accessible through all sections of the village, so that they will have a shorter dispatch time when helping civilians in need. Construction of the new Uchiha District will take 3 days to complete and all able body members are encouraged and expected to help."**_

Mikoto read the announcement, for what felt like the twelfth time, and still couldn't comprehend what was going on. Relocation? For all members? It would make more sense if most of her clan's homes had been destroyed, but many of their homes were unscathed. So many people would be forced to move out of their perfectly good homes for this new district. What was the Hokage thinking? And what of their elders? They would not wish to give up their beloved homes that easily and relocate this late in their life.

"The letter means we're moving, right?" Itachi asked, having read the announcement from over his mother's shoulders while she was deciphering its meanings.

"It appears so, but I don't understand why." Mikoto sighed and pushed the paper away in favor of returning to her tea. "Now sit back down and drink your tea before it gets cold."

Itachi return to his seat and fiddled with his teacup.

"What's wrong, musuko?"

"I was just thinking how angry Otousan is going to be when he reads this. Maybe we should hide it until he is in a better mood?"

"I'm sure he's already gotten the notice at work." Mikoto admitted.

"Do you think he'll start yelling again?" He asked, biting his lips.

Mikoto pursed her lips, debating about how to replay. _"Fugako's only got two ways to communicate: angry yelling, or cold indifference."_ Kushina would have said. Certainly not an appropriate thing to tell his son. "Your father is under a lot of stress right now, Itachi. It makes him tired and upset. He's not really yelling at you."

"What about yelling at you?"

"I… I haven't been making things easier for him." She confessed. "He expects a clean home and bountiful meals, and I have been unable to do that."

"Kaasan, we only have half a kitchen. You don't even have a real oven anymore." Itachi pointed out.

" _I'm sure Fugako would just say those were pesky details."_ The Kushina voice supplied, and Mikoto couldn't help but agree. "Either way, we should all be trying to make your father's day easier."

Itachi frowned but nodded his understanding. "What can I do to help?"

"You can help me pack up our things. If they intend for us to move out and help with construction, we won't have much time besides today to pack everything up."

She was right, it was the only full day they had to pack. After that most of her free time was spent at the construction site. Itachi was also right in predicting that Fugaku would yell. He took their relocation as the highest insult and cursed the Sandaime and the Council. "This is nothing but an excuse to spy and control the Uchiha! I told you this attack would spell disaster for our clan. Konoha has never fully trusted us."

Mikoto slipping that Minato would have never done such a thing if he was still in office only incurred Fugaku's wrath at her.

Even when construction was done and the Uchiha were forced to move in, there was still much work to be done. Although the District was beautifully designed—which she was grateful for as all of the conspiracy talk made her fear that they were being forced into ghettos—it lacked any sort of aesthetics or warmth of a respected neighborhood. The homes needed to be painted, gardens needed to be planted, and the sense of community needed to be re-forged. There was some unease about the sizes of the new homes, as it was a downgrade for many people since the new homes were designed for both family size and status. Being the Uchiha Clan heads and having two sons, Mikoto's family own the biggest compound, much to the annoyance of others. It was not her fault that many of the elite had married amongst themselves and due to the limited gene pool had low fertility rates and lower childhood survival. With no children, they were forced to live in homes with only one bedroom, while Mikoto's home had four bedrooms, the third unoccupied room was a placeholder for any other potential children that Mikoto and Fugaku might have.

Unlike many elites—who married to increase family wealth—the Clan Heads married for producing the strongest and healthiest offspring. They kept detailed blood records of each member and spouse so not to have any crossovers in the later generations. For this reasons, many Clan Heads were married to the women of the lower, outer class of Uchiha, as they shared no bloodlines with any of the elites. Mikoto was from the outer class, daughter of a carpenter, and had won her position as the Head's wife for being the strongest kunoichi of her group. It was her job now to have as many healthy offsprings as she could so that their bloodline could live on.

" _I guess I'm happy that you got what you had always wanted,"_ Kushina had said when Mikoto told her that she had be chosen as the future Matriarch. _"Though are you really going to be happy being just an Uchiha baby factory?"_

' _I don't really know anymore.'_ Mikoto could finally admit. _'But I do know that Itachi and Sasuke are the best things that ever happened to me… besides having you as a friend."_

Mikoto did her best not to let her grief drown her. Fugaku still hadn't forgiven her for her divergence on the 10th and disapproved of her open grievances. So Mikoto buried her sorrow and threw herself into her chores, making sure that she had no time to focus on anything else. It was November 10th when life had finally settled back down, and Mikoto was left with nothing to do, and no one to distract her. Fugaku was off at work, Itachi was at class, and little Sasuke had been kidnapped by Fugaku's parents who had demanded to spend the full day with their youngest grandson. While she sat around, trying to figure out what to do with her new leisure time, she realized with dismay that it had been exactly a month since she had last heard Kushina's voice. And to think they had both been so excited about being mothers at that time.

Mikoto's eyes widen and she jolted out of her seat so fast that the chair fell with a loud clang. Mother! Kushina had given birth! Where was her Naruto?!

She personally couldn't picture the son of the Yondaime being place in a normal orphanage, but that's where her feet led her. The woman at the desk looked startled to see an Uchiha at such a place, but quickly tried to mask her perplexed expression. "Hello, can I help you with something?"

"I'm looking for a baby." Mikoto almost shouted, and blushed. She took a calming breath before continuing. "A baby born this October. He… his parents were my closest friends and died in the attack. I want to know if their baby might have survived."

"I'm sorry for your loss. The orphanage has many young orphans here because of the 10th, it's been the highest number we've had since the Second Shinobi War. Hopefully their son is amongst the numbers. Do you recall what he looks like?"

"Honestly, I didn't have a chance to see him in person before the attack. He should be a redhead? Though there's a small chance he's a blond."

"Those are pretty unique hair colors. If you follow me I can take you to the nursery." The woman got up and lead Mikoto through a door in the back and took her down a long hallway, before stopping at a door to the furthest left. When she opened the door, Mikoto was surprised by the vast number of baby cribs packed into the limited space. There was barely enough room to walk through the aisles, and even Mikoto had to squeeze through sideways.

Most of the babies were brunettes, or raven haired like herself. There were no redheads, and the type of blondes they had were too fair to be Minato's son. The further along they went the more hopeless Mikoto felt. _'He didn't make it. The Kyuubi killed him alongside his parents.'_

When they reached the last crib and it still wasn't the right baby, Mikoto felt the tears burn from the back of her eyes and had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep from crying. "Thank you for your time." She mechanically said, ready to be usher away.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't help you. Now if you would just follow—" The worker's words were drowned out by a baby's screaming cries. Startled, Mikoto looked around, and noticed with confusion that none of the babies in the room are crying. The cries also sounded like they were a little further off.

Looking around, Mikoto spotted a storage closet and out of curiosity she began to maneuver her way over there.

"Uchiha-san, I can't let you go over there!"

The baby cries only got louder as she got closer to the door, so she disregarded the worker's words and continued to push forward. She almost ripped the door off of its hinges in her pursuit of opening the door to discover what was on the other side. What she found was a blond baby, laying in a cardboard box with only a tatter blanket. "What the hell is going on here?"

She approached the baby and he opened his bright cerulean eyes and looked intently at her, freezing midscream. She gingerly knelt beside his "crib" and picked him up, cradling him close to her chest, and wiping away his stray tears. The baby stared back at her in amazement. Mikoto studied the baby closely, he had Minato's goldenrod hair and his cerulean eyes, but he had Kushina's heart shaped face and her large eyes. He was Naruto.

Her fingers caressed his face, gliding over to the whisker like birthmarks on his face. Kushina probably loved them, she probably would've nicknamed him her little Neko-chan. She'd probably dress him up as a cat and take a million pictures of him in it that she would later use as blackmail for him when he was a teenager. Mikoto herself would have kept a copy of the picture in her wallet just because he would have looked so adorable. She might have even dressed up Sasuke too so there could be double the cuteness and twice the blackmail. They would have all been so happy, alternating who would watch the kids, and having giant family gatherings. It would have been great.

Mikoto didn't realize she was crying until a tiny hand patted her wet cheek. When she looked down she saw Naruto intently staring at her, and when she stared back his mouth formed a smile. Being a mother of two, she knew that his smile at this age was probably just because of gas, but that didn't stop her from crying harder and hugging the baby closer to her chest. Kushina was gone forever, but her Naruto was still here. Maybe, just maybe Mikoto could have her Naruto and it could heal the hurt. But first she had to deal with some child negligence.

Mikoto turned around to the worker, her eyes cold and it was taking most of her will power not to turn her _Sharingan_ on the civilian. "Why the hell is there a baby in your storage closet? And why is he in a cardboard box?!"

The woman shrank under her gaze. "There's too much overcrowding in the nursery and we don't have enough cribs."

"Oh, so you rotate your babies into living in a closet instead of staying by the front desk?"

"Yes," The woman cowered when Mikoto's glare intensified. "He's primarily the one in there. But he's always crying, and disturbing the other children."

"Did you ever think he was crying because you left him alone in a closet! He's only 4 weeks old! Newborns need a lot of time, attention and affection. Of course they will cry if they don't get enough."

"Listen, Uchiha-san—"

"No! I don't want to hear any excuses. All I need now are two things. The first is contact to the director of this orphanage."

The woman paled. "And… and the other request?"

Mikoto smiled and looked lovingly at the baby in her arms. "An adoption application for this little angel."

* * *

 _ **Dear Uchiha Mikoto,**_

 _ **We greatly appreciate the concerns you have shown for the charges in our care. We have spoken to Ishiwata Kiyumi, the caretaker, and she has been suspended for her negligence. We have also alerted the other caretakers that despite our overcrowding issues, putting children in closets is not acceptable actions and anyone else caught doing so will be fired immediately. We apologize that you had to see us in such a distressed shape.**_

 _ **We have looked over your application and we must decline your application at this time. Due to the sensitive nature of Uzumaki Naruto's lineage, as well as his unique situation, we are afraid that his application process is more stringent than the other children. With all of the chaos surrounding the attack, and the Uchiha relocation, we do not think that this is an appropriate time for you to take in a new born, especially with another infant already in the house. If you are serious in the adoption process we have other children-**_

Mikoto burned the letter before she could read anymore.

* * *

 **What? An update on Friday? 3 whole days early?! What can I say, all the crazy positive feedback gave me an adrenaline rush and made me want to quickly pop out another chapter. Honestly, I just wanted to take the time and say how much I love you guys and to thank you for giving me and this story a chance. I really was not expecting more than 5 people to like this first chapter and there's roughly 50 or more of you already!**

 **Special thanks to** Max-Waltz **for being the first to really read my story and to favorite it in 30 mins of it being up. Also thanks to** The Black Cat 666 **for being my first follower, and** kyuzi4869 **for being my first reviewer. You guys started an amazing trend and I can't thank you enough.**

 **So my free days are Mondays and Fridays (until I get weekends off from work), so my next update should be 7/21. However, I am going to give us all a challenge.** **If I get 50 reviews by Sunday 5 pm EST, then I will pull an all-nighter on Sunday to post Chapter 3 on Monday morning 7/17. If I end up getting 100 reviews by 7/20 I'll post an additional chapter the next day (instead of the following week).** **Now I'm not the type that will only write in order to get reviews, but reviews do highly motivate me and make me spew out chapters faster.**

 _ **Question Time:**_

 _ **SeiShishi asked how I planned to deal with sexism, which was a great question. The Uchiha seem pretty traditional, and the traditional viewpoint of woman is that they are suppose to be the caretakers of the home and not much else. So there will be some sexism showing (if you couldn't already tell), but it's not always going to be blatant. Mikoto herself is going to take some time to address these issues, as she is not typically depicted as being bold. This is a story about her transforming into a strong woman who can protect herself and others, but it's primary focus is on a family fighting to be together**_

 _ **Why did Mikoto get rejected for adoption? Isn't this a Naruto being adopted by the Uchihas story?**_

 _ **This is a Naruto adoption story, but it's not going to be that easy or else someone would have adopted him in canon. Also the Uchiha are being looked at with suspicion right now, there's no way one would be allowed to adopt the jinchuuriki. I like that Mikoto really needs to fight to get to have Naruto.**_

 _ **Is the Uchiha relocation canon?**_

 _ **Canon hints at it, and for the purpose of the story I wanted it to be a large scale thing. Sort of how Americans relocated its Japanese citizens into concentration camps during World War 2 (Yes, my fellow Americans, we actually did that)**_

 _ **Isn't Mikoto suppose to visit Baby Naruto in the hospital with Itachi and Sasuke?**_

 _ **For the purpose of this story I liked the idea of Mikoto discovering Naruto in the orphanage first.**_


	3. Smile Like You Mean It

**Chapter 3: Smile like you mean it.**

"I did it, Kaasan!" Itachi exclaimed, pointing wildly at the makeshift target on the tree that was now sporting three shuriken at the bullseye.

"That's great, Itachi." His mother praised, offering him a small smile. It wasn't the usual smile she used to give him, which no matter the size were always bright and made him feel like he was the center of universe. This smile was one of the sad, tired smiles she had been giving lately. The facial expression was the same, but the sparkle in her eyes were gone, leaving Itachi feeling cold. He must have done something wrong again.

"It's not that impressive, is it?" Itachi asked, looking down. There was no other reason that his mother would be so withdrawn.

"No! Ita-kun, do you know how few people your age can even throw a shuriken? Do you know how many adults still have issues with a perfect aim?"

"Really? Like who?"

"Well she'd hate for me to admit this, but I'll let you in on a little secret," Mikoto gestured for Itachi to get close enough so that she could whisper the rest. "Your aunt Kushina had the worse aim!"

Itachi's eyes widen, looking at Mikoto with disbelief. "Kushina-obasan? No way!"

"Yes way! She almost failed that portion of the Academy, and she'd avoid using shuriken on the battlefield unless she really needed to. Luckily, her melee fighting skills made up for that handicap."

"Melee, that's fighting up close with your bare hands or weapons, right?"

"Right you are, Itachi." She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "You are so smart and talented; never question whether you are good enough. And know that no matter what, I'll always think you are perfect."

"You mean it?" He asked, not quite sure if he could believe that. His father never seemed to think he was good enough for anything.

"Absolutely."

Itachi gave her a small bright smile, which grew larger when his mother gave her own sunshine smile in return. Maybe he wasn't the reason she stopped smiling all the time.

"Kaasan, do you think you'll be able to show me any shuriken tricks?"

"Tricks?"

Itachi shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he brought up something he wasn't suppose to. "Kushina-obasan used to say that you were the best at _shurikenjutsu_. You could even make designs with the stars."

To his relief, his mother laughed instead of getting mad. "Only for fun, never in the heat of battle. Though Kushina did try to bribe me into giving enemies interesting shaped scars."

"What can you make?"

"I used to be able to do a lot, but I'm a bit rusty. I can probably show you how to make a smiley face."

"Cool!" Itachi quickly retrieved his shuriken and returned them to his mother, who was getting out additional ones from their pouch.

"Okay first thing you need to do is get comfortable with the shuriken in your hands. It's easier if you throw it one at a time but I will start off with two. They are very sharp so be careful not to hurt yourself. Next you need to visualize what you want to make, and figure out the best placement for the shuriken so you can get that image, and the optimal way you need to move your hand. Take a deep breath and then just let it go." She threw the first two shuriken with ease at an empty tree, and quickly released two more sets before Itachi could process what she was doing. When he finally took in the tree, he realized it now had the deadly smiley faced mounted into it.

"That's so cool! What else can you do?" It was nice to see his retired mother show off her ninja skills for once.

"Hmm, I'm feeling more adventurous. How about… a boat?"

She ended up making a boat, a house, and a cat before Itachi demanded she show him how to make the designs himself. He picked up the smiley face with little time, but had trouble making anything else. He had been working on finishing a 5 point star when he heard someone approach them from behind.

"I thought you were teaching him _shurikenjutsu_ , Mikoto, not arts and crafts."

Itachi was so startled that the shuriken he threw went sailing past its target and disappeared into the woods. His cheeks burned red as he turned to face his father.

"Otousan." He greeted weakly.

"We are learning _shurikenjutsu_. We are taking a break from the traditional methods and letting Itachi get comfortable with throwing and visualization." Mikoto explained, stepping protectively in between Fugaku and Itachi.

"Seems impractical to me." Fugaku sneered, making Mikoto bristle.

"I can assure you that it is practical. Doing these exercises helped me master _shurikenjutsu_. If you still don't believe me, we could always do a competition to see whose method is better." Mikoto challenged, much to Itachi's surprise. He never seen his mother look so offended before. By the looks on his father's face, neither had Fugaku.

"Fine, we'll see how Itachi is progressing. If he can get five perfect bullseyes, then I will admit that your method of teaching is successful."

"I meant a challenge between you and—" Before Mikoto could finish her sentence, Itachi cut her off.

"I accept." He wanted to prove to his father that he was learning, and he didn't want his father to take over training him. _Taijutsu_ lessons with him were already bad.

Fugaku nodded his head in approval, while Mikoto watched Itachi intently. "You don't have to do this if you don't want—"

"Stop babying the boy, Mikoto."

"It's alright, Kaasan. I want to do this." Itachi promised. His mother relaxed with his words and handed him the weapon's pouch.

Itachi studied the target carefully, while familiarizing the weight of the shuriken. He envisioned the way he wanted the weapon to fly and how he wanted it to land, and once he was comfortable he released it. Bullseye! He released the next one, and the next until he had four perfectly lined up shuriken on the bullseye. With only one shuriken left, Itachi began to grow nervous. True he had come this far, but now he could feel the waves of panic crash over him. If he got this wrong, then all the other shots would be invalid. If it wasn't a perfect 100% than it didn't count in Fugaku's eyes. He had to make this one really count! He threw the shuriken harder than the others, and watched closely as it flew across the field. It would have been a perfect bullseye if there wasn't already one embedded in that location. The shuriken hit against the embedded one, ricochet off, and landed on the ground.

Keeping his eyes downcast, Itachi waited for the disapproval, but before Fugaku could properly voice his opinion Mikoto stepped in. "The fifth one did hit the mark."

"It hit another shuriken." Fugaku disagreed.

"One that was perfectly centered."

"If it doesn't count in the real ninja world—"

"In the real world that fifth shuriken would have impaled the victim further, probably killing them!" Mikoto argued, gesturing to the target. "Look how much deeper that shuriken is compared to the rest. His aim and his technique was perfect, you can't fault him for that."

Itachi slowly lifted his eyes to meet his father's calculating ones. Fugaku appeared to be debating internally with himself before finally reaching a conclusion. "Itachi is progressing well then. I expect that we will be able to proceed with sending Itachi to the Academy next year."

"What?" Mikoto looked horrified. "He'll only be six! Academy enrollment doesn't begin until children are eight."

"Yes, but prodigies can be enlisted earlier."

Itachi felt his heart grow warm. Prodigy? That meant he was really special and gifted. His father had always wanted him to be a prodigy, and now he actually thought of him as being skilled enough to be one!

"Yes and he can be killed earlier! I'm not sending my baby to the battlefield before he's ready." Itachi felt his heart sink with his mother's words. Kaasan had always had faith in him, why was she suddenly doubting him?

"Yet he was old enough to take care of himself and an infant while a demon attacked?" Fugaku growled, making Mikoto flinched.

"I didn't… I would never… I wasn't _thinking_ alright! Is that what you want to hear?!" Mikoto ran her fingers through her hair, tugging near the scalp. "I made a horrible mistake and I _hate_ myself for doing that. I still have nightmares of what could have happened."

"What I want to _hear_ is that my wife isn't abandoning my children in favor of gallivanting with that impetuous foreigner!"

"Who is dead! Why do have to continuously talk ill about the dead?"

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if she didn't continue to haunt you."

"Please!" Itachi shouted, cheeks growing warm when he realized he yelled at his own parents. "I don't like hearing you two fight."

"Itachi," Mikoto sighed, the last of her anger and energy leaving her with that breathe. "I am so sorry, Itachi. I promise, your father and I will not fight again."

Itachi knew the unspoken words in that sentence was _in front of you_ , but he desperately wished that it was the last time they fought. It wasn't.

* * *

"Get up." Fugaku demanded, hovering over Itachi's prone body. "Your lesson is not over yet."

"My leg hurts," Itachi complained softly. "I don't think I can stand."

"Do you think an enemy will wait for you to recollect your senses? No! They will strike you down before you even register that fact that you are on the ground. No get up!"

Itachi slowly scrambled to his feet, favoring his right leg. He knew he twisted wrong when blocking his father's punch, and he made it worse by putting more weight on that foot than the left. He could already feel it begin to swell.

"Get back into the proper stance."

Itachi didn't want to. He wished that he could be like his civilian cousins and only have to worry about doing homework, and being able to relax during his free time. Itachi would give anything right now to be doing his school work at the kitchen table while his mother was cooking dinner. Not for the first time did he wonder if his training would be more bearable if his mother taught him more than _shurikenjutsu_.

"Itachi, don't make me repeat myself." Fugaku growled. Itachi didn't have the energy to be defiant, so he slowly maneuvered the injured leg so that he could get into the proper placement. Fugaku didn't give him much time before he started to strike again.

Itachi tried to bite down the pain and focus on the lesson. He desperately tried to dodge and block the attacks, but every movement made the pain flare up, and his arms ache from the force his father put behind the attacks. Sometimes he wondered what his father would do if he broke his arm. Sometimes he hoped that he would so that he could have some time to recuperate. He was feeling too exhausted. His limbs were heavy, making him feel like the bones were replaced with iron, and he knew he was wheezing more than his great grandmother Chiyako. And that woman had been smoking for 50 years! Fugaku took no pity on his son's dwindling stamina, and took advantage of his sloppy movement to elbow him in the stomach. Spluttering, Itachi collapse down on his knees, using every last bit of his willpower to not throw up his breakfast all over the ground. Lunches were already banned during _taijutsu_ practice days, he'd hate for breakfast to get banned as well.

"Are you giving up that easily."

"Yes." Itachi gasped as he tried to force air back into his lungs. "Can't… breathe… ankle swollen. I'd already be… dead."

"At least you can admit when you have been outmatched," Fugaku muttered, a little less disapproving than Itachi had anticipated, but still calloused. "I expect a report of what you did wrong today, and the proper ways you should have executed your movements."

Itachi nodded in response, too fatigue to do much else.

"Also, if your mother asks about your ankle, you tell her?"

"That I tripped during practice, and that's why we ended early." He didn't know why they had to lie, only that they had to.

"That's right. You're free to go now. I'm sure your mother will need your help babysitting." Fugaku said with a sardonic smile. Itachi nodded again, glad to be freed from further lessons. He didn't even care that his father openly mocked him about helping out with baby Sasuke. He loved looking after his baby brother, and gladly preferred the infant's company.

The walk from the family dojo to the house took longer than usual, as he carefully trudge along the path in uncomfortable silence. He was grateful when Fugaku parted ways with him so that he could return to the station, as now Itachi could have some alone time with his brother and mother. Itachi knew that things were different when his father was present; he made the air seem heavier and colder, making it hard to breathe. It was especially worse after a bad _taijutsu_ lesson where Mikoto would stare at Fugaku suspiciously, and Fugaku would glare challenging back at her. If Mikoto met his challenge, accusing him of working Itachi too hard, Fugaku would retort back that she was babying Itachi, which would lead them both to criticizing the other's parenting. Once the fighting got so bad that Itachi took baby Sasuke and hid in his bedroom until the next morning.

"Tadaima." Itachi greeted as he walked through the front door. He was surprise, though, that no one came to greet him in return. "Kaasan?"

Curious, he wandered further into the house. Even though they had moved in two months ago, his Kaasan believed that they were still not finished with the moving in process, as she often felt the need to rearrange everything in the rooms. Maybe that is what she was up to? He peeked his head into little Sasuke's room, and was relieved to see her sitting on the floor inside. "Kaasan?"

She didn't respond, but Itachi wasn't too concerned. She got like that a lot lately. She often got lost in her thoughts and would only come out of it if you moved into her line of view. Which is what he did, he kneeled right in front of her face and tapped her right on the forehead with his two fingers. "Kaasan!"

His mother jolted out of her daze, staring at Itachi in bewilderment. "Wha—"

"You were spacing out again." Itachi supplied.

Mikoto's cheeks grew red in shame. "I'm so sorry, Itachi. I didn't mean to-"

"Hey, Kaasan, what are you doing with all of Sasuke's clothes?" Itachi interjected, pointing to the infant's clothes that were scattered around the floor. He really didn't want to hear his mother make excuses, it only made both of them sad in the end.

"Oh? These are all too small for him now. You see, when you are a baby you grow a lot, so you go through clothes rather quickly."

"That seems like a waste." His Kaasan laughed.

"It would be, but we saved all of your old baby clothes to give to Sasuke. So in that respect it wasn't wasteful."

"Huh," Itachi said, thinking. "If babies grow so fast does that mean poor little baby Naruto is running out of clothes? I mean he doesn't have any of my old clothes to wear like Sasu-chan."

Itachi immediately regretted his words when he saw the look on his mother's face. He forgot that Naruto was a forbidden subject. He braced himself for the tears that would come from his mother, but instead was shocked to see a small smiling forming. "You're right. He does need some clothes." She started to gather Sasuke's clothes and put them in a babybag. "I'll make sure to drop them off at the orphanage during my free time."

Itachi was surprised that she managed to stay so cheery. It made him curious if he could finally ask the question that's always been hovering at the back of his mind. "Can I go with you? I… I really want to meet him."

Mikoto looked taken aback by the suggestion, but then her shy smile grew wider, becoming the genuine smile that only his Kaasan could give. "I think he would really want to meet you too."

"And Sasuke? Could we bring Sasuke too?"

Mikoto bit her lip, thinking before finally nodding her head in agreement. "Yes, I don't think that will be an issue. We're practically family, and they shouldn't turn down family." Her eyes got sad at the last sentence, and Itachi knew it was his duty to make that sadness go away.

"Can we go visit him today, Kaasan? Oh please please please!" He tugged lightly at her sleeve and made sure to give her his saddest, pleading eyes.

Mikoto pursed her lips, thinking. "If Sasuke is in a good mood after lunch, then yes we can go see him today."

"Yatta!" Itachi exclaimed in victory.

"I said IF your brother is in a good mood. I didn't say that we will definitely go today."

"Yes, but I'm having lunch with Sasuke today, and you know he's always happy when we eat together." Itachi proudly claimed.

* * *

Itachi felt so smug he almost wanted to whistle for joy, but he didn't for two reasons. One was that it would be very un-Uchiha like, and the other reason was he did not even know how to whistle. But what matter was that they were going to finally meet baby Naruto, and his mom was actually happy! He could tell by the way she was gently swinging their hands, and the way she would hop over the cracks instead of just walking around them. Even baby Sasuke was happily cooing from his carrier.

He now knew the recipe for making his mother joyous again, and he couldn't be happier. Maybe he could even talk his parents into letting them keep baby Naruto so that his mom could be happy all the time. He honestly wouldn't mind having another brother, and he was sure Sasuke would be happy not to be the youngest in the family. He'd make sure to take really good care of them, and when they got older and ready to learn taijutsu he would make sure to be the one to train the—

Itachi faltered as his bad leg reminded him that he was being too harsh on his recent injury. He really should be staying off of his feet for the rest of the day, but he refused to ruin the great they all were in. He wanted to see Kushina's baby as much as his mother did, maybe even a little bit more. He tried to take another step, but his right foot instantly buckled and he fell face first. The only thing that saved his face with an unfortunate meeting with the cement was his mother's ninja reflexes.

"Itachi, are you okay?" She asked, her eyes quickly surveying him for any sign of injury. She eventually keyed onto his injured ankle and lifted his pant leg higher. When she saw that his ankle was swollen she gasped. "Itachi, what happened to you?"

"I… I tripped during _taijutsu_ practice." He said, carefully regaining his balance as well as putting his pant leg down. The less time she saw it the better.

"Is your father working you too hard again?" She demanded, her eyes ice cold.

"No," Itachi shook his head, not wanting another fight to happen on his account. "I had a clumsy moment, that's all."

Mikoto didn't seem satisfied with his answer, but did not push the issue. "We should head back home."

"No! I want to see the baby. You promised us that we could meet him!" Itachi knew he was throwing a tantrum but the idea of them turning around and returning to the cold house and have his mother returned to her melancholy ways was too much for his young heart to handle. He needed her to stay happy, and though it hurt he knew that Naruto was the key to keeping that warm smile.

Mikoto looked stubborn, Itachi's injury being the major concern, and Itachi knew he had to play dirty to get what they all wanted. "You promised that I would meet him in October. It's January! Haven't Sasuke and I waited long enough to meet our best friend. Hasn't Naruto? I thought we were a family?"

Mikoto's last reserved crumbled. "Fine, but you can't walk on that leg. Either you have to let me carry you there and back, or we have to go straight home."

Itachi realized what his crafty mother did, either he had to suck up his Uchiha pride and let his mother carry him on her back like a baby, or he could walk home with his head held high. Or rather limp with his head held high. He spared another glance at his mother, and recognized the sadness that was seeping into her body already. He knew what he had to do. "Will you be able to carry me and Sasuke okay?"

"I am a jounin." Mikoto said with pride, slowly lowering herself to the ground. "Hop on and hold on tight."

Itachi wouldn't admit it, but he had a lot of fun getting that piggyback ride.

When they got to the orphanage, Itachi was surprised his mother wasn't winded at all. True her face was a little flushed, but she was smiling wider than Itachi had ever seen. His mother confidently strode up to the orphanage desk, acting like there was nothing unusual about carrying two young children, one on her back and the other on a carrier in front. "I'm here to see Uzumaki Naruto, please. I brought some clothes that this little guy here outgrew." She said, proudly gesturing to a now squirming Sasuke.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't typically allow visitors."

"Oh, but I'm not just any visitor. I'm the boy's godmother. The name is Uchiha Mikoto, I'm sure you must have heard of me."

Itachi watched the older woman pale and wonder what was in the name that made the woman pale. Did she fear the name because his Kaasan was the Matriarch of the Uchiha Clan, or was it more of a personal fear?

"Oh, my apologies, I did not realize that it was you Uchiha-san. I was unaware that your visits would be a frequent thing."

"Well now you are aware." Mikoto said, and Itachi was surprised to see his mom give a smug smile. "I have heard that you are short-staffed now, and I'm happy to volunteer my services for helping take care of my beloved godson. That is until the adoption process will finally go through so that I can finally take him home."

Itachi's eyes widened. "We'll get to keep him?"

Mikoto's eyes gleamed. "Once we get everything sorted out we can."

Itachi felt his spirits soar, but then crashed at the disbelieving look in the older worker's eyes.

"Let me lead you to him. I should give you the heads up that there has been construction going on. We have repurposed some of our closet spaces and turned them into single rooms for the babies. We can assure you that we have done this for multiple children, and that it is a comfortable living space for the babes." Itachi could tell that his mother didn't believe the woman, but neither bother to openly disagree with the worker.

They followed the woman down the hallway, through the room of the crowded nursery, and into a private miniature room. He watched his mother quietly appraise the room before turning back to the worker. "There does seem to be an improvement. I'm glad you added a window to this room so that he can get some natural light and some fresh air. I'm also relieved he has a real crib now."

The worker nodded her head happily, as if Mikoto personally complemented her. "I'm glad you agree! We tried very hard to make these private nurseries as comfortable as possible."

"Though would you mind leaving us alone? I want my sons to meet their future brother in peace."

"Oh, of course. Please let me know if you need anything." The worker said, bowing to them before she left.

"I was afraid she'd never leave," Mikoto admitted, slowly lowering herself so that Itachi could climb off her back. "I don't think there's really enough room for all of us to stand if she stayed."

Itachi nodded, but stiffened as he heard some talking in the other room. He crept closer and noticed the door didn't fully shut and if he listened closely he could hear what was going on. Whoever was speaking sounded annoying.

" _Yeah, can you believe it? She actually thinks she can adopt the brat. Like anyone would let a Uchiha adopt the—"_ Before he could hear more, his mother closed the door the rest of the way.

"I believe I have some introductions to make to both of you." Mikoto said, slowly uncinching Sasuke from her stomach and carefully placing him to the ground before moving over to the crib. She carefully scooped up a tiny bundle of orange and yellow. "Itachi, Sasuke, I want you two to meet Naruto."

The little baby yawned and opened his cerulean blue eyes. Itachi didn't know much about babies—beside baby Sasuke—but he had to admit the baby was pretty cute.

"Hi, Naruto. My name is Itachi." He said, offering the little baby his hand. The baby looked at his hand in amazement before sticking Itachi's fingers into his toothless mouth. "Ewww, baby germs!"

Mikoto laughed at that, and it that moment Itachi decided that he would put up with all of the baby slobber in the world just to keep her laughing again. "Welcome to the family, Naruto." Because honestly, any baby that could make his mom that happy was worthy of being his brother.

They didn't end up leaving the orphanage until suppertime; they all left in high spirits and Mikoto even let them have dinner at one of the booths for once since it was getting so late. Itachi was completely unaware that later that evening it would become one of the worse nights in his life.

* * *

 **I just want to say thank you to all of my loyal followers and I'm so sorry for being so late. I ended up getting pretty sick before the original deadline and by the time I recovered I had a 50 page paper due for my Master's completion. On the Brightside, I'm officially a Master's graduate now *victory dance*, though there is another reason why I've been so late in updating. My foster brother died at the age of 18 due to an untreated adrenal insufficiency. The funeral is this Monday, on the 21** **st** **. It's honestly been a pretty rough month, but I'm trying to get everything back on track.**

 **I hope to update again on Tuesday as a way of making up for the lack of updates. I ask for your continue kindness, but don't feel too bad about trying to kick my ass into gear if I lose motivation again.**

 **Questions:**

 **One reviewer asked if Mikoto is aware she has the Mangekyō Sharingan.**

 **No, she hasn't had a need to use this so far so she is unaware. But she will. Just remember that using this will make the user go blind, so I will try to be sparring with it.**

 **Why did you write this in Itachi's POV. I thought this was only in Mikoto's POV**

 **This story will go back and forth between Mikoto, Itachi, Naruto and Sasuke's POV. Mikoto will be the primary POV that I will use, but when the opportunity presents itself, I will try to use the boys'.**


	4. It's not Alright

**Chapter Four: It's Not Alright**

"You can't go back there!" Itachi screeched, his voice already hoarse from all of the shouting earlier. Mikoto tried to shush him so he wouldn't strain his voice further or cause anymore of a scene, but that only encouraged Itachi's panic. His new eyes gleamed red as they darted around the room, trying to find any enemies in the shadows. "He's going to kill you!"

"It's alright, Itachi," Mikoto tried once again to calm her son. She was only grateful that the fighting hadn't woken up Sasuke as well, as she doubted she'd have the energy to console both sons.

"It's not alright," Itachi said, looking at her in horror. "Why do you always say it's alright when it's not?!"

"Itachi… he's your father."

"He hurt you!" The boy yanked up her arms to show all of the bruises littering the area. Before she could think of an excuse, he also put his hand against her right cheek, frowning more when she flinched at the contact. "You're still bleeding there."

"It's just a deep scratch. I'll clean it up once you go to sleep."

"No," Itachi snapped, those red eyes narrowing at her. Never before had Itachi raised his voice against his parents, yet tonight he couldn't seem to stop. "You always said that you need to clean cuts immediately so they don't get infict… infected!"

Mikoto sighed, hating that her son was using her own rules against her. "Alright, I'll go clean it up." She tried to get off his bed and move away towards the hallway, but he quickly latched onto her arm and refused to let go.

"Itachi…"

"No. I don't want you to be alone!" Mikoto just sighed and continued on her way to the bathroom. She flinched when she turned on the light and for the first time saw what she looked like. No wonder Itachi was acting so traumatized.

She carefully washed the grim off of her face, mindful of the open wound along her jaw. She was probably going to need stitches in the morning, but she didn't need to tell her son that. For the meantime, she would deal with preventing infections and try to stop the bleeding. She got out the first aid kit and took out the antiseptic spray, some gauze pads, and medical tape. She applied the spray, dried some of the excess liquid with one of the gauze pads and layered the rest over the cut, and cover it all up with the medical tape. It wasn't perfect, but at least she didn't look like someone out of a horror movie. While examining her handiwork, she noticed her son's worried reflection.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, his alabaster skin even paler than usual, and the new _sharingan_ still present.

Mikoto ignored the question by asking her own. "Do you need help turning that eye off?"

She took his silence as an affirmative. "Come on, let's get you back into bed." She attempted to lead him out, but Itachi stopped her in favor of going first and making a show to of double checking that Fugaku wasn't around. He didn't let her step out of the bathroom until he gave her the 'all's clear' wave. Shaking her head at her son's over-protectiveness, she followed him into his bedroom and guided him into his bed.

"Now the best way to turn off the eyes is to think peaceful thoughts. The _sharingan_ is brought on by stressful emotions, and remembering that stress can help you trigger it on command, but be warn the more you use it the more it will drain your energy."

"I don't… I don't know how to think of anything peaceful right now." Itachi admitted. Mikoto couldn't blame him either, it had been a stressful night.

"How about… you think of what we did earlier today! How we played with Sasuke and Naruto, and how we went out for barbecue and even got dango for dessert. Wasn't that fun?"

"Yeah, and Otousan wasn't there to ruin it." Itachi grumbled, but his features did relax as he began to drift into his inner world. Mikoto let herself drift too, thinking of their day together. It was such a shame that the day had to end on such a sour note.

* * *

 _(Earlier that day)_

"Hi, Naruto." Itachi shyly introduced himself to the 3 month old baby. The blond was staring at the guests in his room in fascination, but the raven baby was slowly getting cranky that the attention was no longer directed at him.

"Kaasaa!" Sasuke whined for his mother, waving his arms and demanding to be picked back up.

Mikoto shook her head at the boy's antics, a little surprised at the sudden jealousy. Sasuke had always been a quiet baby, and never demanded much attention, but it seemed that seeing someone around his age brought out the possessiveness. "Itachi, would you mind holding Naruto for me?"

Itachi looked at her in horror and she giggled. "You hold Sasuke all the time. I trust you with Naruto too."

"Really?" Itachi asked, not fully believing her words. Mikoto nodded again and gently offered the blond towards him. He hesitantly picked the baby up, and carefully cradled the infant towards his chest. Itachi slowly grew confidence, but Mikoto did notice his nose wrinkling.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No… it's just... Naruto smells really bad."

"Huh, he might need a new diaper." Once she got Sasuke settled in her arms, she moved over to Itachi to do the dreaded inspection. "No, he's clean there." She took an experimental sniff at his body and coughed. "But he desperately needs a bath."

She carefully swapped babies with Itachi and hunted down the nearest employee to figure out where they can give him a bath. Fortunately, the worker from before was still close by, but the woman was in denial about the infant needing a bath. It was only when Mikoto forced the woman to smell Naruto and the woman almost gagged at the smell that the worker decided to show them the bathing areas. Again, the woman tried to argue that Naruto didn't need a bath at this moment and she could bathe him herself later that evening, but Mikoto had little faith in the woman's words.

"Don't worry. I see that you have your hands full and it would be no trouble on my part to take care of the issue myself," Mikoto said politely, even though she wished to yell insults at the caretaker. "I have two sons so I think I can handle this just fine."

The caretaker grumbled something about not drowning the brat before leaving. Clearly, she wasn't too concerned about the child's welfare in a 'stranger's' hands.

"Well now that that's settled, let's give you a proper bath, Naru-chan." She filled the basin with water, stripped the baby, and carefully put him in before he had a chance to freak out. She barely had him in the tub for 10 minutes before the water turned murky. "When is the last time they even bathed you?" She complained.

Itachi wrinkled his nose at the water. "I didn't even know water could get that dirty that fast."

"It only does if the person in it is really dirty." Mikoto looked quizzically at the blond baby. "What do you really look like under all of this dirt?"

She had to dump out and refill the basin three times before she could even get to work at scrubbing soap into his hair and skin. She was grateful that Naruto was a happy baby who didn't mind being handled—if anything the infant loved the excuse of being touched—and that she had Itachi for help. She was especially grateful that Sasuke was a quiet baby who didn't demand much attention. Her youngest was quite content in Itachi's arms, watching the blond baby with curiosity.

"His whisker marks don't seem to be part of the dirt." Itachi commented. "They kinda make him look like a kitty."

"You know, I thought the same thing too!" Mikoto giggled, gently stroking the baby's cheeks before moving onto shampooing his hair.

"Do you want to say hi, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, shifting his brother closer to the tub, where their mother was scrubbing the blond's hair so much that there were bubbles forming on top. The baby Uchiha was fascinated by these strange bubbles and started patting it down on Naruto's head. Naruto looked up at Sasuke in confusion before smiling wide. Sasuke took that as an invitation to try to put the bubbles into Naruto's mouth. "Sasuke no!"

Itachi pulled Sasuke away from Naruto's mouth, but it did not stop the baby from flinging the soapsuds all over Naruto and their mother. "Sasuke!" Mikoto half laughed and half complained. "You are getting me all wet!"

Sasuke was unremorseful, and instead starting to slap his hands into the tub water. This made Naruto curious and he began to mimic the other's actions, eventually slamming his little hands hard against the water, and creating a giant waved that splashed everyone in the vicinity.

"I didn't think we all needed baths." Itachi bemoaned but failed to hide his smile.

"Me neither," Mikoto giggled. "Okay, bath time over. Let's get you rinsed off and into some clean clothes, okay?"

"I think I need some clean clothes too." Itachi whined, gesturing at his soaked shirt.

"Unfortunately I don't have clean clothes for us, only the babies," Mikoto admitted, slowly drying off the blond. "But I should have some extra towels for you to dry yourself off with."

"Okay," He gently placed Sasuke onto the ground by the baby bag, grabbed the fluffiest looking towel he could find, and wrapped it around himself. He looked back at his mother and the blond baby and made a face. "He looks weird in dark colors."

"Hmm, he does, doesn't he?" Mikoto lifted Naruto, now donned in Sasuke's old navy blue jumper. "I guess the typical Uchiha colors aren't your style."

Naruto gurgled and squirmed in reply, making her laugh again. "Don't worry, the next time I visit, I'll make sure to bring you some brighter color clothes. Like… orange! That's the color your mother wanted to dress you in anyway."

Naruto cooed happily, although Itachi was confused. "Orange? Why orange? Don't most baby boys wear blue?"

"Typically, but you know Kushina-obasan and Minato-ojisan were always…eccentric."

"Excentric?" Itachi tried to say the word. "Does that mean weird." Mikoto laughed again.

"It's a… nicer way to say weird." Mikoto admitted.

"So why did they want orange to be his color."

"It was a bit of an inside joke. Do you remember what there nicknames were?"

"Of course! Everyone knows the _Yellow Flash_ ," Itachi crossed his arms indignantly. "And Kushina-obasan said hers was the _Bloody Red Haba_ … Haba something."

"Habanero. Do you know what you get when you mix the colors yellow and red?"

Itachi's eyes lit up as he realized the answer to the riddle. "Orange. They wanted his color to be orange because he's a mixture between the two of them!"

"Exactly!" Mikoto smiled at the little baby. "So, it is only fair that we start dressing you in the color your parents wanted for you."

"Ano, Kaasan?" Itachi asked hesitantly as they made their way back to Naruto nursery. "Can you tell us more about Kushina-obasan?"

Mikoto thought about it as she carefully placed Naruto on the ground on his stomach—he was at the age where he needed "tummy time" so he could strengthen his limbs enough to be able to crawl within the next couple of months. She gestured for Itachi to do the same for Sasuke, who immediately tried to crawl away, although he was still learning so it was partly army crawl and partly rolling around with a purpose. In his pursuit of getting away from Itachi, he rolled over Naruto's foot, making the other baby squeal in confusion. Once Mikoto was assured that both infants were fine, she turned back to Itachi. "What would you like to know?"

"Can you tell me more about your days as a team? You never told me how your team got it's nickname. Or how you even got your own nickname."

"Well there isn't much of a story to tell for my own nickname, _Crimson Star_. I specialized in shuriken and I had the _sharingan_ which made my eyes look crimson. I personally think they just wanted to keep the red theme going, since the _Bloody Red Habanero_ liked to tagteam with me. When it was just the two of us working they liked to call us the _Scarlet Sisters_."

"What was the name for your whole team again?"

"On paper we were Team 4, but since that's an unlucky number we were usually called by our nickname." Mikoto said, grimacing before she listed the name. "Team Luscious Locks."

Itachi giggled at the ridiculous name, even though he heard it a hundred times before. "Why were you guys called that again?"

"Because all of us, including our sensei, had really long hair. People started teasing us that we could be models for shampoo commercials, because of our 'luscious looking hair'."

"Did you guys ever do that?"

"Of course not… though there was the time we had to go undercover as a band of aspiring performers."

"I don't think you ever told me that story."

Mikoto giggled. "It really wasn't that interesting, but if you want to know I'll tell it to you."

So Mikoto recounted the tales of her infamous trio, about the time they had to pretend to be beautiful dancers and had forced their male team mate to crossdress. She recalled how fluster that poor team mate had been when some guys tried to flirt with him, and how angry Kushina was when she got called the most masculine member of the group. She told him about how Kushina accidentally destroyed the china dishes at their host's place, and how Mikoto had to use her scarf and a bunch of chopsticks to make a splint. She admitted that even though they successfully completed that mission, they were discouraged from ever returning to that town, and had Itachi clutching his sides because he was laughing too hard.

"Please," He begged. "I want to hear more."

So she did. While they watched Naruto and Sasuke interact on the ground, she told Itachi about the misadventures of her old group. Things that once made her ashamed from the embarrassment now had her amused at the memory. She even told him about how Minato had bothered her before his first date with Kushina to figure out what her teammate would love and for him to best avoid getting beat up at the end of the night. When she finished her last story she noticed that the babies were getting sleepy and that it was starting to get dark.

"I think that's enough excitement for today, especially for you Naruto." She carefully disentangled the blond from the raven baby and gently laid him down into his crib. She reached for his cover, but after noting how flimsy and grubby it was she decided to toss it in favor of giving him the spare blanket that she kept in her bag. She could always buy Sasuke a replacement later. She lovingly tucked the baby in and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I know you don't want us to say goodbye, but it is time for you to close your eyes and get some sleep. I won't be here when you wake up, but I do promise that we will see each other again. Goodnight, Naruto. We will meet again soon. I promise."

The baby whimpered for a second, before exhaustion took its course and lulled him back to sleep. Itachi watched the baby curiously before looking back at his mother. "We'll get to visit him again?"

"Of course, you see how crowded it is here, there's not enough caretakers for all of the babies and Naruto is not getting the attention he deserves. He needs us to help look after him."

Itachi looked back over at Naruto, noting all of the second-hand items now on his person. "He does look like a member of the Uchiha clan. You know, minus the blond hair."

"I suppose he does. Though who knows, maybe to him we look like members of his Uzumaki family."

Itachi giggled, thinking of the only Uzumaki he knew. "Us as Uzumakis! Can you imagine it?"

Mikoto giggled herself as she strapped the tired Sasuke into his carrier. "We'd probably have to be the opposite of a Uchiha. Be loud, and rash about our decisions."

"Wear bright colors and pull pranks on people we don't like. Tell people what we are thinking, and not be afraid to admit when we don't like someone." Itachi listed wistfully. "Ooh and we could eat a bunch of unhealthy food whenever we want. With our hands!"

"With our hands?" Mikoto gasped in mock horror. "Now I think you are taking it too far."

Itachi started to apologize, until he noticed his mother shaking with silent laughter as she closed the nursery door behind them. "I think you also want an excuse to eat like that." He hissed instead.

"You know maybe you are right," Mikoto mussed as they wander out of the hallway and passed the desks. She only paused to give a mocking salute to the caretakers before returning her attention back to Itachi. "You know, there is a barbecue place around her that sells fingerfood. Maybe we could go eat that?"

"Really?" Itachi asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "That would be so great!"

Mikoto looked at the sky and thought it over. "We could grab a small appetizer now. We did skip lunch after all and your father should still be at work."

"This is the best day ever!" Itachi proclaimed, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Though be careful with that foot! If I catch you limping you'll go back to the piggyback rides."

"Noooo." Itachi whined, but Mikoto could tell by the smile on his face that he wouldn't mind it that much if he was forced to be carried again.

"Then let's get a move on. We don't want your father getting home before us."

They really should have been more mindful of the time.

* * *

 _(present)_

When Itachi finally opened his eyes again, they returned to the same obsidian eyes that Mikoto had.

"See," Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief. "You were able to turn it off all by yourself."

Itachi ignored her in favor of clinging closer to her arm. "Please… I don't want you to leave. Can you please stay with me tonight?"

Mikoto bit her lip as she thought over his requests. "I'll be here when you fall asleep and I'll be here when you wake up in the morning."

Itachi accepted those terms, but made no effort in returning her arm back to her. "I hate him." He growled.

"No you don't. He's your father, Itachi."

"I don't care, I hate him!" He cried, burying his face into her arm. "I wished he never came home."

Mikoto didn't dare to agree out loud.

* * *

 _(earlier)_

Mikoto honestly didn't mean to stay out so late, she intended for it to be a quick snack, maybe half an hour tops so that they could return home and she could make dinner. She didn't intend to be caught up in the wonder of her children. This was the first time Itachi got to experience being at any sort of restaurant, Fugaku was against the idea of eating establishments, claiming that only those with lazy or unskilled wives would waste their money on such garbage. Maybe that's why they wanted to stay long? It was the thrill of doing something that Fugaku would be furious to discover. And after a busy day, the atmosphere and the comfort food was just what they needed. And when they brought out the dessert menu and Itachi's eyes got so wide from all of the choices... well how could she not stay for him to sample some? By the time they left, the moon was already high in the sky, and their stomachs were filled from delicious barbeque meat (and in Sasuke's case, plenty of onigiri) and dango.

Itachi was the first to realize how late it had gotten, his brows furrowed in concern. "Otousan is not going to be happy, is he?"

' _No he won't.'_ Mikoto admitted only to herself. "Come on, we're going to need to move fast so we don't delay your father any further. It will be easier if you ride on my back."

Itachi knew better than to argue, so with a nod he carefully climbed onto her back and securely latched his limb around her, mindful not to accidentally kick Sasuke as he did so. Once she was confident he was properly in place, she took off as fast as she could back to the Uchiha Compound. They luckily managed to squeeze through the private gates before they closed them, although they were given scandalized looks by the gatekeepers and the random passersby. Mikoto ignored the looks as well as the disgruntled mutterings going on; she knew that it didn't look well for her reputation as Matriarch right now, running around so late with both of her children strapped to her, but for the first time in her life, she didn't need their approval. All she cared about was getting home in time. When they reached the dark halls of their home, Mikoto thought they might be safe. She was about to let out a sigh of relief when she noticed the faint glow of a light in the kitchen. She could feel Itachi stiffen, and even felt him swallow deeply before climbing down from her. From the corner of her eye she could see him start to reach out for her hand, before deciding against it and clenching them into fists at his side instead. Part of her wished to grab the children and run so she could avoid confronting her husband, but she knew that she needed to set an example for her children and not run from her problems. Taking a deep breath and mentally preparing herself, she stepped into the kitchen.

She looked around the kitchen first, unwilling to meet Fugaku's cold eyes immediately. She checked to make sure everything was in place, and shrinked when she realized she left the dishes in the drain board instead of returning them to their proper places in the cabinets. She prayed that Fugaku wouldn't notice, but knew he would as he was the one who despised having any dirty dishes in the sink and anything in the drainboard. Knowing the longer she stalled, the more his ire grew, she finally turned to face him.

Fugaku was out of his work uniform and was nursing a bottle of sake at the kitchen table. He reeked of disappointment and anger, refusing to meet her eyes in favor of taking another sip of his drink. He must be expecting an apology.

"Gomenasai," Mikoto began, bowing her head in reverence. "I took the boys for an outing and we lost track of time."

"Lost track of time?" Fugaku said taking a sip. "Funny, I think you'd realize you were losing track of time once the sun started to change positions. Or are you too daft to notice that it was starting to go down?"

Mikoto's cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I—"

"Did you even think of the responsibilities that still required your attention at home?"

"I know, I didn't put away the dishes—"

"Or do the laundry, or clean the house, and let's not forget the fact that there is no food on the table."

"I-I—"

"'I-I,'" Fugaku mocked. "Is that all you can say, woman, for neglecting your responsibilities and your family?"

"She wasn't neglecting us!" Itachi snapped. "She made sure we were well taken care of and even let us stop for food." When Fugaku's irate gaze reached him, he realized his mistake.

"Oh, so take yourself and the children out to eat, but you leave behind your hardworking husband. Your husband who is dutifully at work, making the money for this family that you are squandering away while prancing around in the streets!"

"But we weren't prancing," Itachi flinched at his father's cold glare, but knew he was already in trouble and couldn't remedy the situation by shutting up. "We were at the orphanage!"

"The orphanage? Why would you even…" Fugaku's eyes narrowed as he realize what or rather who would be at the orphanage that would be that important. "So the Yellow's bastard is there."

"Fugaku! That is inappropriate language for the kids!" Fugaku however ignored her.

"I should have known. You always were obsessed with that family," He said darkly, getting out of his seat and stalking closer to Mikoto. "Though I never could figure out which was the one you wanted to fuck."

"How dare you." Mikoto snarled angrily. "How dare you try to insinuate that in front of the kids! I would never—" Before she could get the next sentence out, Fugaku roughly pushed her against the kitchen sink. Sasuke began to howl in distress, and the fire that was in Mikoto's eyes died and was replaced by terror.

"I don't need a _yariman_ like you raising your voice at me," He growled in her face. "Now I'm going to go out to cool off. When I get back, I expect this place to be a pristine home for the Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan, got it? I also expect my favorite dinner out and ready for me."

Mikoto, too scared to speak could only nod her head as she tried to calm Sasuke down.

Fugaku then turned his gaze to Itachi, who trembled at the sight of his rage. "As for you, I expect that report about why your _taijutsu_ lesson went so poorly, or else!" Itachi nodded, clenching his fists so tight that it was going to leave nail marks in his palm.

"Try not to be such disappointments when I return. Oh and Mikoto? Get the baby to shut up." With that he left, but neither one dared to breathe until he angrily slammed the front door behind him.

"He's crazy." Itachi whispered, his eyes wide.

Mikoto didn't have the strength to defend Fugaku's honor this time. "You should work on that essay, Itachi. You know how much of a perfectionist your father is; he won't accept it unless you hit every point precisely."

"Except he won't accept the real reason why the lesson didn't go well: because he was an asshole!"

"Itachi! Language!"

"But it's true and you know it!" Itachi angrily wiped away at the tears coming from his eyes. "Never mind. I'm going to my room."

Mikoto watched helplessly as he stomped out of the kitchen and into the hall. Great, just great! She had a volatile husband, a screaming infant, and an emotionally drained child.

" _It's everything you ever wanted, huh, Miko?"_ She could hear Kushina's memory mocking her.

' _No,'_ She finally admitted, as she desperately tried to calm down her baby. _'I never wanted any of this.'_

...

Mikoto watched nervously from the kitchen window, wondering when her husband would return. She made his favorite dish, _Sukiyaki_ —a dish of thin slice beef, vegetables, tofu and vermicelli—but it was starting to get cold. Itachi was still in his room, whether or not he was still working on his essay she didn't know, and Sasuke had finally settled into sleep. Mikoto had finished all of her chores and had nothing else to entertain herself with at the moment. She doubted Fugaku would be happy if he caught her reading while waiting for him—he thought her taste in literature was garbage so she had to hide her collection of stories about brave heroines and magical quests out of his sight—and she knew he would be unimpressed if she juggled the knives out of boredom—he always said that made her look like a clown, not a respectable member of the clan. She should try to take up knitting, at least that was a decent hobby for a housewife.

She tensed when she heard footsteps coming down the hall, but relaxed when she recognized it was only Itachi. "He still didn't come home yet?"

"No," She admitted, and finally took notice of the time. "But you should be going to bed. Did you finish your essay?"

"Yes. I didn't even blame him in it."

"That's good. Now go and get changed into your pajamas. And don't forget to brush your teeth!"

"Okay," Itachi started to head out, but paused, biting his lip. "Will you still tuck me in and night and tell me a story?"

Mikoto knew there was a good chance that Fugaku would be furious if he came home and she didn't immediately greet him, but she didn't have the heart to deny her son's request. "Of course. Go hurry and get ready, I'll meet you up there in a bit."

Itachi smiled brightly at her, and she knew she made the right decision. "I won't take long, I promise!"

Mikoto smiled back and nodded, getting up to put the food back in the oven to keep it warm. Only once she heard Itachi leave the bathroom and return to his bedroom did she head over. Itachi quickly scrambled into his bed, knowing that he shouldn't waste any valuable time. Mikoto smiled again and made sure to tuck him in comfortably the way he liked.

"What story do you want to hear tonight?" She asked curiously.

"Can you… can you tell me the story of why you married Otousan?"

Mikoto frowned. "It's not the most interesting story." Mikoto admitted.

"I don't care, I want to know why."

Mikoto sighed. "Do you know what an arranged marriage is?"

"Is that when you have to marry someone."

"In a way. It means that family members, and other important people in the community pick two people who they think will be compatible together—that is that they would make a good team. Since the Clan Heads are so important, the clan makes sure that the Patriarch marries the perfect Matriarch."

"What makes a perfect Matriarch?"

"Well she needs to be someone that isn't related to the Patriarch, and she needs to be healthy enough to have children one day. Admittedly, what makes a good Matriarch is making sure she can have strong Heirs for the clan. She also needs to be the strongest kunoichi in her generation, and if there is any doubt who will be stronger, she will have to fight for her spot."

"Did you have to fight?"

"Some girls did challenge me, but all it took was me attaching them to a wall to make them back down." Mikoto admitted with a small smile. "That's the great think about shuriken, as long as you have distance on your side you will have an advantage."

"Cool!" Itachi said, eyes glowing. Something told Mikoto that Itachi would be a shuriken enthusiast himself one day. "So, then what happened?"

"Well, I got to meet your father, and we went through the traditional 1 year engagement. During that time, we learned more about one another, and his mother trained me on how to be the Matriarch and how to properly take care of the home for the Clan Heads. After the 1 year was up, the Old Patriarchs as well as your father compared their notes on my abilities and decided that I was worthy of being the Matriarch. We got married, and within the year I had you."

"Oh… so you really didn't get married for love."

Mikoto flinched. "It's the tradition of things."

"So, will I have to get an arranged marriage too?"

She wanted to lie to him, since he sounded so disappointed, but she knew Itachi would be able to see through her pretty words. "Yes. It is how things work."

"I don't want to get married," Itachi declared, before a new thought crossed his mind. "At least, I don't want to marry a Uchiha."

"Oh really?" Mikoto asked, genuinely curious. "Why not?"

"Because, all of the girls are the same! They look alike, the talk alike, and all they want to do is play house." Itachi stuck up his nose. "I want to marry someone interesting!"

Mikoto giggled. "Who knows, maybe you will? Times are changing, maybe you'll be the first Uchiha Heir to pick his bride."

"I hope… and I hope that I can keep her happy. I don't want her to be sad and lonely like you are."

Mikoto frowned. "I'm perfectly happy."

"No, you're not." Both Itachi and the Kushina memory whisper.

Mikoto doesn't dare to respond back, but luckily for her Itachi soon fell asleep. It was a long day for the boy, and walking around on that leg didn't help. Fortunately the swelling had already gone down, and a full day of rest would help it heal. Before returning to the kitchen she kissed Itachi on the head, and went into Sasuke's nursery to do the same for him. There were still no signs of Fugaku when she got downstairs. Feeling exhausted herself, she decided to rest her head on the table, sure that a couple of minutes of resting her eyes couldn't hurt.

She jolted awake hours later to the loud clang of an empty sake bottle being banged down right next to her ear. She could smell Fugaku before she caught sight of him, the thick stench of alcohol burning her nose and her eyes. "Have you been to the bar this whole time?"

"Whr's my din'r?" He demanded, swaying in place. "Ya said ya were gon' feed me."

"I put it in the oven so it didn't get too cold." She explained, doing her best to sidestep around him. She bent over to grab the food and yelped when she felt Fugaku roughly squeeze her ass while she was in that position. "Fugaku!"

"Whaat? Just apprecceeating what's mine."

"Actually, I believe that is mine." She twisted herself away from him and put the food dish in between the two of them. "This though is yours. Let me go grab the chopsticks." She quickly grabbed a pair from the drawers and put them in the dish for him, and tried to shove the food into his hands.

He took a bite out of the food and made a face. "It's cold."

"It would have been warm if you didn't come home at..." She looked for a clock. "Midnight."

Fugaku put the dish down on the counter with disinterest. "Maaybee I want somethin'… somethin' else warm."

"I can whip you up some rice pretty fast if that's what you want." Mikoto suggested, looking in the cabinets for their bag of jasmine rice. As she was reaching up she felt rough hands lock around her breasts.

"What if," Fugaku growled, the stench of alcohol on his breath almost making Mikoto want to vomit. "I just want yu?"

"You're drunk." Mikoto said, forcing herself to sound calm.

"Yea, but I can stiiiill deliver what ya need."

"What I need is to go back to bed. It's late, Fugaku, I'm tired."

"You're always tired!" Fugaku howled, forcefully slamming her into the counter, and pressing all of his weight against her.

"Please, Fugaku, you're drunk! Just let me go!"

"No! I'mma finally takin' what's mine!" He growled, roughly yanking her head back by her hair. "And you're gonna let me."

"L-l-leave her alone!" the timid voice of Itachi screamed.

Fugaku whirled around, twisting Mikoto with him. She could see that poor Itachi was shaking in panic, and she could feel the anger boiling in Fugaku.

"Go ta bed!" Fugaku screamed.

"Y-you're hurting her." Itachi stammered, holding his ground despite his fear.

"I said. Go. To. Bed!" He screamed, grabbing the teakettle from the stove and throwing it at his son. Itachi's poor leg still needed healing, so he was unable to properly dodge it and got hit in the shoulder and yelped in pain.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Mikoto screamed, her maternal instincts overcoming her own fear. Taking advantage of his loosen hold on her, she simultaneously elbowed him hard in the chest, and kicked him in the knee. He immediately released his hold on her and she started to run to Itachi. She didn't get far when Fugaku came back with a vengeance, and tackled her into the hallway.

"Kaasan!"

The two of them scrambled, trying to pin the other to the floor. Mikoto was faster and had the advantage of being sober, but she was also retired while Fugaku was still an active ninja and had an extra hundred pounds of weight on her. It didn't take the drunk too long to overpower her and slam her hard against the ground.

"Stop fighting me!" He shouted in her face.

"Leave her alone!" Itachi screamed, tugging roughly at Fugaku's hair. Fugaku simply thrust his elbow behind him, crunching Itachi's nose. The boy howled in pain and let go of Fugaku in favor of supporting his bleeding nose. Mikoto took advantage of the distraction to kick him in the crouch. If he was going to fight dirty than so would she! As he screeched his misery, Mikoto rolled to the front door.

' _Gotta get out, gotta get help!'_ Were the only thoughts running through her mind, even though she didn't know where she would go or who would help. Her husband was the police force! But she just needed to get help from someone, maybe an ANBU on patrol? Maybe her surviving team mate could take pity on her?

She wasn't thinking straight and she forgot to undo the locks, and was struggling against the door, trying to figure out through the fear haze the proper way to get out. By the time she realized her folly it was too late, Fugaku was barreling towards her at full force. She didn't even have time to brace herself as she was thrown against the door, from a force powerful enough that the door was ripped from its hinges. She remembered being thrown headfirst against the door one second, and the next she was flying through the air and then sliding face first against the cement. Her head felt like it was exploding from the pressure, and she felt like she peeled off the entire layer of skin along her jawline. She opened her eyes but quickly had to shut them back down, the whole world was spinning like she was on a demonic festival ride, making her stomach turn and required all her willpower not to immediately start vomiting where she laid. Instead she focused on controlling her breathing, and trying to ignore what was going on around her. She ignored Fugaku's calloused hands crudely grabbing her to flip her onto her back, ignored the sake that was reeking from his breath as he leaned down and whisper his disgust at her appearance. With each count of her breath, she started to long for the oblivion of unconsciousness.

She didn't even care anymore.

" _Katon no Jutsu!"_ She heard a tiny voice scream.

' _What… is Itachi doing?'_ She wondered. She heard Fugaku curse and get up, and in slow motion watched as he performed the hand seals for his own _Katon_ Justu. She realized with horror that he wasn't going to deflect the jutsu, he was going to overpower it and push it back towards Itachi. There was no way that the boy would be able to get out of the way in time!

Something in Mikoto finally snapped. She was so sick and tired of Fugaku bullying her and bullying the kids. She was not going to let him hurt any of them ever again. Her eyes opened wide and began to bleed red into the iris. The _sharingan_ began to form, but instead of forming the normal tomas it a five pointed star. Acting on instinct, she sat up and raised her hands in the direction of the giant fireball. "Stop!" She screamed, willing the fire to extinguish itself. She was only mildly surprised when it did so.

Fugaku turn to glare at her, but eyes only widen in horror. "Your eyes, you have the—"

"I want you to leave us alone, Fugaku." She commanded, feeling the effects of her genjutsu slowly take over her husband. "I want you to go into our room and sleep until you are no longer this despicable drunk."

Fugaku stared at her a second with his blank eyes and his open mouth, nodded, and lumbered back towards the house. Once he passed Itachi, the boy collapsed onto his knees and began to sob.

Forcing aside her pain, Mikoto slowly got onto her feet and stumbled over to Itachi. "Ita-kun, it's okay. We're okay." Once she got close enough to the boy, she pulled him into a hug.

"I thought I thought… I thought." He couldn't get the words out and continued to cry harder into her shoulder.

"It's alright, I promise."

"No, it's not alright." Itachi snapped, finally pulling away from her and looking her in the eyes.

Mikoto took in his bloody nose the red eyes of the newly formed _sharingan_ and gasped. "Oh, Itachi…"

They stared at each other for a while, each taking in the injuries and the new eyes of the other. It was only once Mikoto turned off her own _Kekkei Genkai_ that they decided to get themselves back into the house and cleaned up. They both ignored the broken door, not having the energy to move it themselves.

* * *

"Itachi, can you promise me something?" Mikoto asked, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over the two of them.

"What?"

"Don't let anyone know you have your _sharingan_ already."

Itachi sat up, looking startled by the suggestion. "Why not?"

"I'm… I'm afraid what the clan will do if they know that you awaken yours so early. You already are such a brilliant child, I'm afraid that they will want to turn you into a super weapon and forget to treat you like the child you are."

Itachi thought it over before nodding. "If that's what you think is best. Will you train me how to use it, Kaasan?"

"I prefer not to." Mikoto admitted. "It's a great burden and I don't think you are ready for it."

"When do you think I'll be ready for it?" He asked stubbornly.

"Hmm… how about when you make genin?"

"Deal. And once I became a genin I can protect you, right?"

"Protect me?" Mikoto let out a startled, half hysterical laugh. "It's us parents who need to protect our children."

"Yes but I want to protect you." Itachi grumbled. "And one day I will be stronger than you."

"Hmm in that case… you can protect me once you are a jonin."

"Then I'll make sure I make jonin right away." Itachi swore. "I will protect you."

"How about," Mikoto started, leaning her forehead against his. "We protect each other at that point. Deal?"

"Deal."

And maybe, just maybe everything would work out alright.

* * *

 _ **I'm so sorry for being late on the deadline again! I did not realize just how much energy a funeral takes out of you. Though to make it up, this chapter is almost 2x as long as the typical chapters. Now hopefully we can get back on track! This chapter also was more edgy then the other 3 so I wanted to work hard on it, and also played around with the flow. Let me know if the jump forward and backward in time was confusing, it set the pace nice. I thought it would be a good break for the mundane middle scenes.**_

 _ **Thank you guys again for the support, and a huge thank you for those who reached out to give the condolences. I especially want to send a shout out to our guest from College Station Texas, and I hope Hurricane Harvey hasn't touched you or your family.**_

 _ **Feel free to ask questions about the story and I will be sure to answer next chapter. See you guys until then!**_


	5. WHY NIKKI SAGE HASN'T UPDATED

Hey guys. First, I want to thank you all for the continue support for _Enough_. I'm so honored by how many of you guys have favorited and followed this story, despite my infrequent updates. I also want to apologize for not updating in a while, but I wanted to explain why I have been unable to do so.

In September, I got into a pretty bad car accident. I was a rest, trying to make a left hand turn out of a parking lot and another car came flying 50 mph, saw my car last minute and instead of stopping tried to swerve around my car but ended up hitting and getting stuck onto my front bumper, and dragging me further out into traffic. The accident left me pretty banged up and with a concussion, but it could have been so much worse. However, the concussion has made it very hard for me to concentrate and has made writing a more difficult task. I keep noticing awful grammar mistakes and sometimes I struggle to spell the simplest of words. Honestly, it's very frustrating, as it's been making it hard to enjoy the hobby I love most. It's also frustrating because I have a Masters of Science and I continuously feel like I've reverted into a high school level of knowledge and attention.

I don't want to half ass _Enough_ so I don't feel comfortable writing this fic while my head feels so foggy. You guys deserve better. But I will not be giving up on _Enough_ either. I do know where I want to go with the story and I plan to get back to writing it in March—six months after the accident. I should hope by this time I'll be feeling closer to my old self.

I do have two questions for you guys:

Would you rather I write smaller chapters and update more frequently? Or would you prefer long chapters monthly? Like 1000 words a week vs 5000 words a month?

Do you guys want me to do a timeskip so you can see a toddler Naruto (who can actually talk and interact with the world), or are you enjoying a tiny Itachi interacting with babies?

Your input is very important to me.

Once again so sorry that I have been unable to work on this story. Thank you guys for being so awesome! Also if it's March 11th and I still haven't updated, feel free to yell at me. It might kick my ass into gear faster.


	6. NOTES FROM NIKKI SAGE

(Please read/scroll to the bottom before closing out?)

Hello everyone. First, I need to apologize to everyone who got their hopes up for thinking this was a new chapter. Wow, there are so many more of you then when I left off this fic and I have to say that I am so honored and happy that after all of this time there's so many new people still following and favoriting this.

Sadly, the story is still on Hiatus and it will be for the foreseeable future.

That car accident messed me up more than I was expecting. It's been almost two years and I still have a hard time remembering to spell certain words, and I have a bad habit of skipping words or confusing words that sound similar, and the worst part of it is that I don't even catch it. Sometimes I can read a page of information, and completely forget what I just read.

It's one of the reasons why its been so hard to get back to this story since all of the Japanese names and words are a nightmare for me to try to read, let alone write. And I don't want to give you guys a subpar fic just so it gets back out there in the world.

Also… I kind of fall out of the fandom. Or at least I love this fic less than coming into it.

This whole story revolved around Mikoto, who would one day become the loving adopted mother that Naruto deserved, and he would grow up alongside Itachi and Sasuke as he's loving brothers. Remember, a week before my car accident, I had to attend the funeral of my young foster brother. He only turned 18 and he died mostly because his mother (my foster mom at the time) was negligent. He had an auto-immune disease that was completely manageable if she took him to doctors and got him medication, but because she didn't think he was sick, he died of sepsis. It's just… It's a real fucking hard pill to swallow.

Honestly, I hope none of you ever have to go through the death of someone who is younger than you. More so, someone who you saw take their first steps, speak their first words, and so many other firsts. To know that this could have all been avoided makes it so much harder. And since this is a fic that revolves around young children… I just can't deal with it. Not yet.

But this is my promise to you all, one day it will stop hurting, and one day the letters will get less funky, and when that happens, I will be coming back to all of you.

I have actually been getting back into the writing habit, and that's the other reason why I wanted to update you guys. For those of you who enjoyed my writing, I really want you to check out this other fic that I wrote on archive.

So while I was recovering from the accident and dealing with my grief, I started hoping around new fandoms (anything that I didn't use to share with my brother) and stumbled onto Supernatural. It was a show I had stopped watching 8 years ago, and with 14 seasons under its belt, I knew it would be the perfect distraction. Once I was caught up with the show, I started immersing myself more into the fandom and stumbled across fics on archive of our own (the formatting for fics on fanfic kept hurting my eyes with the post concussion syndrome, which is why I switched platforms) and accidentally became addicted to Destiel fanfiction. I know, I feel deep. It didn't help that many writers of this fandom were older women with impressive degrees under their belts (seriously, my new Masters is nothing compared to what some of these women have achieved) so the writings were very intriguing. Along the way, I learned that this fandom had a bunch of competitions where they would pair you up with an artist and together you had to make a story within a set amount of time. They also had an army of beta readers at their disposal to help with the writing process. Since it had been almost two years since I last written anything, I was intrigued and decided to join up. And it was everything I hoped it would be.

I got paired with an amazing artist who gave me this amazing prompt to work off of and encouraged me ever step of the way, and I got three betas (THREE) who were able to help me out and find all of the mistakes I made. I'm actually really proud of what I was able to pull off, which is why I want to share it all with you.

It is an AU so you don't have to know anything about Supernatural to enjoy it, but it is a slow burn for two guys, so I can understand if that might not be your cup of tea. But I would really love if those who are interested to check it out. I really miss you guys and I feel like I let you all down by not writing anything. I even kept my same user name for you.

Once again, I'm so sorry for jumping fandom ships, but this really did help me with my grief and it is helping me with my recovery, so I hope you guys can forgive me from staying away from the Naruto universe for a little while longer.

For those interested, I have the summary and the link below to my newest fic. It's about 50,000 words (not too bad, right?!) and is completed since that was the terms of the competition. Seriously, this might be one of my best works yet. If you want a snarky narrator, with a light hearted story with some serious dark undertones than check it out. Also please give me a shout out if you enjoyed it, and let me know if you found it from here. Plus I did include scenes of childhood sweetness so I could get back into the mindset of writing from a child's POV *wink*

 **Something Human**

 _ **NikkiSage**_

Summary:

Cyborgs have been dubbed the greatest advancement of biomedical engineering, and many would describe them as revolutionary and extraordinary. Dean Winchester, however, has his own choice words about them and that is that they're friggin' creepy. Now his brother might say that his "cyborgphobia" is a mixed result of some adolescent trauma bullshit and the circumstances around their father's death, but Dean's pretty sure his squeamishness is more to due with the fact that they are human corpses that are running on computer software. They're a B rated horror movie just waiting to happen!

The last thing Dean expects is to end up harboring a renegade Cyborg-which besides being crazy and reckless is also very much illegal. Even though Dean should be turning C45-T-L over to the proper authorities, he just can't seem to go through with it. Cas is different than his robot brethren, and it's not just because he can talk, has horrible posture, and a strange obsession with origami. It's because when Dean looks into his eyes he doesn't see a cold machine looking back, but instead he sees something familiar in those eyes; curiosity, excitement and loneliness. He sees... Well something human. And to him that's worth protecting.

/works/19184305/chapters/45602719

Love you all and thanks again for your kindness and patience. I also hope all of you lovelies have been doing good since I've last heard from you!


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